


Untenable

by vivvav



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Makoto Niijima Week, The AFR Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 23:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12143871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivvav/pseuds/vivvav
Summary: After six years, Makoto and Ren finally get an apartment together. But Makoto's dream life has one major complication: Getting to live with Ren means having to live with Morgana.Written for Makoto Niijima Week. Day 5's prompt is "Future/Career".





	Untenable

**Author's Note:**

> We're over the hill with Makoto Niijima Week!
> 
> http://makotoniijimaweek.tumblr.com

**Art by[Hureno](http://hurenoshmureno.tumblr.com)**

* * *

 

“Where does it go?”

Ren and Makoto looked at each other at the delivery man’s question. It seemed neither of them had previously considered where to place the bookcase.

“Next to the TV?” Ren suggested.

“That will look too cluttered” Makoto said. “Perhaps near the front door?”

“I thought we were going to hang our diplomas on that wall.”

“Put it behind the couch!” Morgana yelled.

“Behind the couch?” Ren asked.

“That way I can look down on everything else in the apartment!”

“It’s for holding books, not a sentry tower.” Makoto rolled her eyes and looked at Ren. “I think we have some space in the bedroom.”

“Killjoy” Morgana mumbled.

The workers placed the bookcase in the bedroom and left. The apartment was now fully furnished. Ren dropped down onto the red couch in the middle of the room, taking in his surroundings. The small one-bedroom in Shinjuku wasn’t much to look at, but compared to every other space Ren had lived in the six years since he’d first come to Tokyo, it felt practically palatial.

“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” Ren grinned at Makoto. “We finally have our own place.”

“It’s not finished yet” Makoto said. “We still have a truck full of boxes to unload.”

“That can wait.” Ren patted on the spot next to him on the couch. “Let’s take a break and enjoy this for a minute.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Makoto sat down next to Ren. “We finally have a home together.”

“That’s right!” Morgana hopped up into Ren lap. “No more hiding in dorm rooms!”

“No more living with Sis” Makoto added.

“No more dusty attics.” Ren put his arm around Makoto’s shoulder.

“You chose to stay in LeBlanc, didn’t you?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah, Chief wanted to give us a spare room in his house, but Joker was ‘used to’ the attic” Morgana said.

“LeBlanc was my home” Ren protested. “I spent a year turning that attic into something special. Is it so bad that I wanted a year where I felt in control of my life instead of changing everything again?”

“What kind of moron gives up the chance for an increased standard of living!?”

“It’s not like you had to stay with me.” Ren flicked one of Morgana’s ears. “I’m sure Boss would’ve preferred having you in his house to in the cafe.”

“And leave you all alone!? Unthinkable!” Morgana hopped up onto one of the sofa’s armrests. “Who’s going to make sure you’re taking care of yourself if I’m not around!?”

Ren silently pointed at Makoto.

“That’s not the same!”

“You’re right.” Ren kissed Makoto on the cheek. “If I tried that with you, it’d be weird.”

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” Makoto rose from the couch. “We need to finish unpacking. Let’s get those boxes up here.”

“Alright.” Ren followed Makoto to the door.

“Wait up!” Morgana ran after them. “Don’t close the door!”

“Where are you going?” Ren asked.

“I wanna explore the new neighborhood.”

“Could you stick around for a bit?” Makoto asked. “We might need your help with unboxing.”

“Uh, Makoto, I can’t carry boxes.”

“Yes, but you can open them with your claws.”

“You don’t need me for that! You can just use your keys!” Morgana dashed out the door.

“Wait!" Makoto reached out to grab Morgana, but he was already gone.

“It can’t be helped” Ren said. “Morgana kind of just does whatever he wants.”

“That sounds difficult to live with.”

“You get used to it.” Ren chuckled as he made his way to the elevator. “Though the bossiness doesn’t make it any easier.”

“How bad is it?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t consider it detrimental to my life or anything.” Ren pressed the elevator button. “Kind of the opposite, really.”

“Being bossed around by a cat is a good thing?” Makoto looked at Ren incredulously as they stepped into the opening elevator.

“If it weren’t for Morgana, I would have had no life outside of the Phantom Thieves.” The elevator began its descent. “He encouraged me to get out into the city and look into interesting things and people. I never would’ve met Old Man Tora if he hadn’t convinced me to talk to him.”

“I still can’t believe you refer to your boss the governor like that.”

“We’ve been friends since we were both a couple of nobodies. There’s no pretense between us.”

“I suppose.” Makoto and Ren stepped off the elevator. “Still, it’s hard to believe you wouldn’t be on your current career path without Morgana.”

“Good things happen when he’s around. You’ll see.”

Makoto was content to leave it at that. Admittedly, she’d been a little uncertain about this living arrangement. When Ren first proposed that he and Makoto move in together, she was elated, but the realization that Morgana would be joining them was the fly in the ointment. Makoto felt bad for thinking of any of her friends that way, but her feelings weren’t totally unfounded. Morgana could be difficult. After five years of failing to find a way to become human, he’d given up on his search altogether, and as a result became clingier than ever. Makoto and Ren were in love, and had been waiting a long time to be in a position where they could finally share a home. They wanted to spend their lives together. Morgana was Makoto’s friend and she cared for him deeply, but she didn’t exactly have the desire to spend as much time as possible with him the way she did Ren.

Still, Ren had spent the past six years of his life with Morgana, and he never complained about it. She was sure there would be an adjustment period, but everything would work out.

* * *

**That night…**

Makoto’s heart was pounding away. It wasn’t the first time she and Ren had shared a bed, but it was their first time sleeping together in their own home. It had been a long time since Makoto had been bashful about moments of intimacy with Ren, but this was something entirely different. It was just so exciting! Finally, after years of waiting, through the tail end of high school then college and even police academy, Ren Amamiya and Makoto Niijima had taken the first major step in any adult relationship. How her messy-haired beau could be sleeping so peacefully on such a monumental day was beyond her. Still, Makoto had no desire to wake Ren. Lying next to him in the dark, making out his facial features very faintly, hearing the sound of his breathing and feeling his warmth next to her was all she wanted of him in this moment.

Although, she supposed she wouldn’t mind feeling a bit more of his warmth. Makoto reached her arm over Ren, ready to cradle his chest. But when her hand came down, instead of feeling Ren's heartbeat, she felt something warm and fuzzy instead.

“Hey!” The fuzz jumped up and started making a racket. “What are you doing!? I’m trying to sleep!”

“Morgana!?” Makoto turned on the lamp on her nightstand, shining light on the unexpected third presence in her and Ren's bed. “What are you doing in here!?”

“What does it look like?” Morgana yawned. “Turn off the light.”

“No, I mean what are you doing in our bed!?”

“What are you two doing?” Ren asked groggily. He kept his eyes closed. “Go back to sleep.”

“Morgana, why aren’t you using that cat bed?” Makoto asked.

“I always sleep like this!” Morgana protested.

“What? On Ren's chest?” Makoto looked at Ren peculiarly. “That CAN’T be comfortable.”

“I’m fine,” Ren said, “let’s just go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Ren yawned. “Good night, you two.”

“Good night, Joker” Morgana said. “Good night, Queen.”

“Good night.” Makoto switched off the lamp.

* * *

**One week later…**

Morgana lounged on the couch, watching Featherman while lazily picking away at the contents of a can of cat food. The sounds of characters in colorful costume were interrupted by the sound of the apartment door opening, and he slowly craned his neck to the side to see what the interruption was.

“I’m home.” A tired Makoto shambled through the door, hanging her police cap on a hatrack by the door. Makoto demonstrated a rare lack of posture, and it seemed like she might collapse any second.

“Welcome home" Morgana said, returning his attention to the TV.

Makoto slowly ambled over to the couch, barely managing to ensure she’d land rear-first as she dropped into it. The shock caused Morgana’s cat food to bounce into the air slightly.

“Watch it!” Morgana yelled. “You almost spilled my dinner!”

“Sorry.” Makoto yawned. “I had a very trying day.”

“Oh really?” Morgana perked up and fixed his eyes on Makoto eagerly. “What happened? Bank robbers!? Serial killer!? International terrorists!?”

“Missing child.” The groan Makoto let out was positively guttural. “I was running all over Roppongi looking for some American businessman’s son. There was a small team of us, but the others weren’t putting much effort into it. Unfortunately, many members of the police department are rather apathetic to the problems of foreigners.”

“Did you find him?”

“Yes, thankfully.” Makoto gave Morgana a weary smile. “His father was very grateful, although it was hard to understand his thanks. I am uncertain whether he is just that bad at Japanese or if he was in hysterics.”

“Well, at least you saved the day.”

“I suppose you could look at it that way.” Makoto’s stomach grumbled.

“That’s loud” Morgana said.

“I skipped lunch today.”

“You should make yourself dinner.”

“I don’t have that kind of energy right now.” Makoto groaned as she forced herself to rise from the couch. “I think we may have some leftover steak from that restaurant Ren and I went to the other night. I’ll just reheat that.”

“Well make sure you put it in the oven.”

“I’m not sure that I have the patience.” Makoto opened the fridge and pulled out a white styrofoam container holding her dinner-to-be.

“I’m serious! I heard that if you microwave it, it ruins the flavor!”

“That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make-AH!” Makoto’s foot came down on something wobbly and she lost balance. She managed to catch herself on the sink, but dropped her steak on the floor.

“Are you ok?” Morgana asked.

“I’m fine, but…” Makoto turned around to see what tripped her up. She picked up a can opener. “Why was the can opener lying on the floor?” Makoto inspected it closely. “And why are there bite marks on it!?”

“I don’t have fingers!” Morgana stood on the edge of the couch. “Using that thing is tricky!”

“And you just left it on the ground!?” Makoto picked up the meat on the floor and dropped it in the sink, washing it down the garbage disposal.

“It’s easy for me to get things down from places. Getting them up is entirely different.”

“Your dinner seems to have found its way onto the couch just fine.” Makoto scowled at Morgana.

“Hey! That’s not-“

Morgana was interrupted by the front door opening yet again.

“I’m home!” Ren stepped in with a bag full of groceries. He closed the door behind him with his foot and merrily strode over to the kitchen, putting the bag down on the counter. He wrapped his arm around Makoto’s waist and pulled her in for a kiss, his lips landing on her cheek.

“Ren, please…” Makoto rolled her eyes. “I’m very tired.”

“Well, that’s why you need the rejuvenating power of love.” Ren let go of Makoto and pulled an apple out of the grocery bag. “And curry, if you haven’t eaten yet.”

“I have not.” Makoto put the can opener on the counter and hugged Ren. “You’re a life-saver.”

“No, that’s your job. I’m just a political aid.” Ren pulled a pot out from under the sink. “You go relax. I’ll take care of dinner.”

“It’s been a while since you’ve made curry.” Makoto returned to the couch. “What brought this on all of a sudden?”

“One of my coworkers, Hashimoto, claimed he makes the best curry in the city. I informed him that he was wrong, so tomorrow Old Man Tora and his staff are gonna taste-test for us at lunchtime and make a verdict.”

“This is the important work you’re doing in the governor’s office?”

“The political world is cutthroat, Makoto.” Ren turned on the stove. “I need to impress people any way I can.”

“Well, you have nothing to worry about” Morgana said. “Thanks to MY guiding hand, Joker’s curry is sure to blow that other guy’s out of the water!”

“You didn’t teach Ren how to make curry,” Makoto said, “Boss did.”

“He may have shown him how to make curry, but I trained Joker to be proficient. His hands wouldn’t be skilled enough to make the Chief’s curry without me!”

“He’s got a point.” Ren started chopping up apples. “I didn’t have any real skill with a knife before the Phantom Thieves.”

Makoto grunted. She could think of a dozen reasons to refute Morgana’s claims, but was too exhausted to put in the effort. Besides, it wasn’t worth getting into anyway.

* * *

**Three days later…**

Ren and Makoto sat on the couch together, watching a science fiction series Haru had recommended. They’d been streaming it for a few hours, and the “will they/won’t they” subplot between the yellow-scaled lizard woman and the robot searching for the meaning of life looked like it was finally going to come to a conclusion.

“CAPTAIN DECARDIA…” The robot knocked on the door to the commanding officer’s quarters. “I MUST SPEAK TO YOU REGARDING A MATTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. REQUESTING PERMISSION TO ENTER.”

“Permission granted.” The lizard captain looked up from her book of French poetry as the metal man entered her room. ”What is it, HURV0?”

“I FEAR THERE MAY BE A VIRUS IN MY SYSTEM, YET MY SELF-DIAGNOSTIC DETECTS NOTHING.”

“Oh?” Decardia put down her book and crossed one leg over the other. “And what, pray tell, makes your doubt your own diagnostic?”

“I REPEATEDLY FIND MYSELF IN SITUATIONS WHERE I LOGICALLY CALCULATE ONE COURSE OF ACTION, BUT THEN PERFORM ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ACTIONS.”

“Such as…?”

“DO YOU RECALL DURING THE COLLAPSE OF RALOVAR, HOW I RETRIEVED A SAMPLE OF THE RALOVARIAN SAPPHIRE BLOSSOM?”

“I think I might” Decardia said playfully, her eyes darting to the glowing blue flower on display in the middle of the room.

“THERE WAS ONLY A 37% CHANCE OF SUCCESSFULLY RESCUING THE SPECIMEN WHILE ALSO GUARANTEEING MY OWN SAFE ESCAPE FROM THE DYING WORLD. AND YET, ALTHOUGH IT WAS ILLOGICAL, I SAVED THE PLANT FROM EXTINCTION.”

“Well, I certainly appreciate it. It would have been a shame to let such a lovely organism vanish from existence.”

“INDEED, I WAS AWARE THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO SEE THE FLOWER PRESERVED. I BELIEVE THAT IS WHY I TOOK SUCH A RISKY ACTION.”

“Is that so?”

“YES. IN EVERY INSTANCE OF MY ACTING AGAINST LOGIC AND REASON, THE COMMON VARIABLE HAS BEEN THAT TAKING AN ILLOGICAL ACTION WOULD BE FOR YOUR BENEFIT. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY BE A TARGETED ATTACK TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR STATE OF MIND BY OUR ENEMIES.”

“I don’t think that’s the case at all.” Decardia rose from her chair, walking over to HURV0. “I think there’s a simple explanation for this.”

“WHAT IS YOUR HYPOTHESIS, CAPTAIN?”

“You’re a sentient unit, are you not? Capable of experiencing emotion?”

“AFFIRMATIVE.”

“Then, maybe…” Decardia took HURV0’s hand, her head fin turning green in embarrassment. “Do you think you are capable of experiencing lo-“

There was a click, and the TV screen turned black.

“What are you two doing up so late!?” Morgana stood on the remote, scowling at Ren and Makoto. “It’s a weeknight! You should go to bed!”

“Yeah, I guess.” Ren rose from the couch.

“What!?” Makoto grabbed Ren's wrist and pulled him back down on the couch. “Ren, no!”

“No?” Ren pointed to the clock. It was 23:47. “But Morgana’s right. It’s late and we have work in the morning.”

“You guys were streaming it. You can continue whenever” Morgana said.

“That’s not the point!” Makoto yelled. “We don’t have a lot of free time together, Morgana! We should be able to spend it however we desire! And YOU have no right to be disrupting our activities like that!”

“Well EXCUSE ME for caring about your wellbeing!”

“You can care about somebody without barking out orders all the time!”

“Shouldn’t it be ‘meowing out orders’?” Ren asked.

“Ren, this is serious!” Makoto grabbed Ren's shoulders. “Why do you do just go along with every one of Morgana’s whims!?”

“Because listening to me has led him to tons of success” Morgana said proudly. “Why wouldn’t he-“

“I wasn’t talking to you!” Makoto gave Morgana the Niijima glare.

“Alright, let’s all calm down!” Ren stood up. “It’s late. We don’t want to wake up the neighbors with all this yelling. Let’s all take a bit of time to cool down and get a good night’s sleep. I know I’m tired.”

“So what? You’re just going to bed? Because he told you to!?”

“I’m going to bed because I’m tired and don’t want to participate in this argument.” Ren held his hand out to Makoto. “You should do the same.”

“Unbelievable.” Makoto got up and headed for the front door.

“Where are you going?” Ren asked.

“You’re right about one thing: I need to cool down.” Makoto opened the door. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Makoto, are you sure-“

“I’ll try not to wake you up when I get back.” Makoto stepped through the door. “Good night, Ren.”

“Good ni-“

SLAM.

* * *

**The next morning…**

Makoto woke up to the sound of her alarm and the smell of coffee. She got out of bed and stepped into the main apartment to see Ren sitting at the dining table in his pajamas, two mugs of coffee in front of him. He looked up at Makoto and picked up one of the mugs, holding it out to her.

“Hey.”

“Good morning.” Makoto took the coffee from Ren and had a sip.

“You want to talk about last night?” Ren gestured to the chair next to him.

“Yes. I do.” Makoto sat down and gave the apartment a quick glance. “Where’s Morgana?”

“I asked him to check on Futaba.” Ren smiled halfheartedly. “I thought maybe you two could use some distance.”

“You thought right.”

“What’s going on between you two anyway?”

“I could ask you the same.” Makoto took a sip of her coffee.

“Huh?”

“What is Morgana to you? Why do you never seem to challenge him on anything?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You reinforce all of his egocentric comments, you don’t seem to mind him doing whatever he wants in the apartment, you do whatever he tells you without question, you let him walk all over you. Literally!” Makoto poked Ren in the chest. “HE SLEEPS ON TOP OF YOU!”

“I mean, I get what you’re saying.” Ren rubbed his chest. “But that’s the way it’s always been. For the last six years, at least.”

“And you’re just ok with this!?”

“I'm used to it.”

“You’re dodging the question, Ren.” Makoto crossed her arms. “You’re telling me that you can TOLERATE the state of affairs with Morgana. I’m asking you if you actually LIKE it.”

“What do you want me to say?” Ren tensed up. “Do you want me to renounce Morgana? Say that I hate him?”

“Of course not! I just want to know the truth. Why do you put up with Morgana’s bratty behavior?”

“Alright, look…” Ren sighed. “No, I’m not happy with the way things are. But Morgana needs me.”

Ren paused to let Makoto react. She said nothing, just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

“It’s true that Morgana has done a lot for me. But I’ve done a lot for him too. I took him in, gave him a home, provided him with food. And he could survive on his own, I’m sure, but he wouldn’t be as comfortable. But it’s not about reciprocity.”

“So what is it about?”

“Come on, Makoto. You’re smarter than this. What do you think the hardest thing about Morgana’s life is?”

“Well, assuming this isn’t a trick question, I’m going to say it’s being a cat.”

“Exactly.” Ren nodded. “It’s been five years since the collapse of the Metaverse and we're no closer to finding a way for Morgana to become human. It’s very likely that one doesn’t exists. And there are only seven people in the world that Morgana can actually hold a conversation with. Without us looking after him, Morgana has no life. He needs constant validation or he’ll just mope around all the time.”

“I am not insensitive to Morgana’s condition, but that’s no reason to let him run roughshod all over our lives. There need to be boundaries, Ren.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Ren rested his elbows on the table. “We’re used to things being a certain way.”

“Yes, well, you two weren’t living with somebody else then. This is supposed to be OUR home, Ren. I want to live in it with you. I want to spend quiet moments together where we don’t have to say anything to enjoy each other’s company. I want to stay up too late watching TV and try and fight off the consequences of our actions with your coffee in the morning.” Makoto reached out and grabbed Ren's hand. “I want to hold you close at night.”

“I want those things too.” Ren squeezed Makoto’s hand.

“I’m not telling you to choose between Morgana and me. But he needs to understand that if he’s going to live with you, that also means living with me, and that means things have to change.”

“You’re right.” Ren finished his coffee. “I’ll talk to him about it later today.”

* * *

**The next day…**

“Are you ready to go, Mona-Chan?”

Haru was as bubbly as ever as she held a box with Morgana’s few possessions in them.

“Almost.” Morgana stood on the table, turning to Ren and Makoto. “So I guess this is it, huh?”

“It doesn’t have to be” Makoto said. “I really would have liked trying to reach some kind of compromise with you, Morgana.”

“It is what it is. You and I are both domineering personalities, Queen.” Morgana turned to Haru haughtily, looking back over his shoulder with a cocky grin. “It never would’ve worked out.”

“Well, I suppose there is some truth to that.” Makoto looked down at her feet and hugged her arms to her chest. “Still, I feel a bit awkward about all this. No hard feelings?”

“Hey, I’ve been looking after this guy for six years now. If you wanna take all the responsibility, I won’t stop you.” Morgana hopped off the table and walked over to Haru. “Besides, I’m trading up! It’s only natural that a refined gentleman such as myself gets to experience the finer things in life.”

“Well, don’t go getting too fancy for us.” Ren knelt down and scratched Morgana’s head. “We still have to hang out sometimes.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn't deprive you of my presence permanently. I’m not cruel, after all.”

“We’re glad to hear it” Makoto said. She turned to Haru. “Are you sure about this?”

“Oh, absolutely! It will be a delight to have Mona-Chan as a roommate! I’ll never be lacking company, and I can see to it that his every need is taken care of!” Haru looked down at Morgana excitedly. “Perhaps you could even be the mascot for my cafe, Mona-Chan!”

“I thought cats weren’t allowed in cafes” Morgana said.

“Oh, that’s not true! In fact, some cafes have multiple cats, and that serves to attract customers!”

“What!?” Morgana looked back to Ren. “Why didn’t anybody tell the Chief about this!? I wouldn’t have been stuck in the attic all that time!”

“I don’t think Boss would’ve gone for having a cat cafe” Ren responded.

“Speaking of which, I’d prefer to get back to Cafe Noir as soon as possible.” Haru turned to the door. “Let’s go, Mona-Chan!”

“Alright!” Morgana followed Haru out of the apartment. “Later, Joker! Later, Queen!”

“Bye, Morgana!” Ren waved as they exited the apartment.

“Take care!” Makoto added.

The second the door closed, Makoto found herself being swept off her feet. The next few moments were a whirlwind of confusion that ended in two young lovers on a couch free of cat hair, enjoying the feel of each other’s embrace and the taste of each other’s lips.

Out in the hallway, Haru smiled at her new roommate.

“It was very kind of you to do this for Ren-Kun and Mako-Chan, Mona-Chan.”

“Well, you know how it is.” Morgana shrugged as best as a cat could. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled when Joker told me that things couldn’t stay the same, but it’s all a part of growing up, I suppose. Some changes just need to happen.”

“So you agreed to move out so those two could have room to grow as a couple?” Haru beamed at her furry friend. “That’s wonderful, Mona-Chan!”

“Well, there’s that too, I guess.” Morgana grinned at Haru. “But Joker pointed out that those two can't ever have sex if I’m around. And I refuse to stand in another man’s way like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm guessing that this will be the most polarizing story I've written this week.
> 
> Update: This story's been changed to use Joker's canon name.


End file.
